


now everything is easy cause of you

by Caisin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Swan-Mills Family, brief mentions of Cora and Leopold at the beginning, with hints of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2018-11-12 15:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11164782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caisin/pseuds/Caisin
Summary: The Swan-Mills fam finally gets a dog, and someone is having a lot of thoughts about how much space there is for this family to grow into.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> massive thanks to Onella for constant Regina + animals headcanons and helping me out when this was only 1 1/2 pages and everything felt wrong. and thank you Mere for the idea of this dog, and for giving her a name.
> 
> title is from Our House by Crosby, Stills and Nash

They will tell anyone who asks that it was Henry's idea.  Because it's believable, and Regina still enjoys having something of an air of mystery about her with Storybrooke's citizens, even if it has become less and less convincing.

 

The truth is, Regina hasn't had a dog in years.  Decades.  Not since Thaddeus, from her childhood so long ago she barely remembers him.  None of Daddy's hunting dogs after him had been the same; none of them ever became a friend.  Mother had seen to that.  And Leopold would never have allowed her any sort of companion, even an animal.  He rarely gave her leave to take Rocinante out riding.  After his death, she had gotten his hunting hounds, but they weren't really hers and they certainly weren't pets.

 

The Evil Queen didn't have pets.  At least not the sort she secretly yearned for; it took away from the image of the thing.

 

And then in Storybrooke, it just never seemed right, to have a cursed animal who never changed.  Especially once Henry arrived and would certainly notice his pet not aging in a way he hadn't yet with the people around him.

 

Now, everything is as normal as it ever could be in Storybrooke, and she has a family and a future and all this space for them to grow together.  There's a longing to fill that space with as much laughter and warmth and family as she possibly can.  Like she had always dreamed of having and been told was impossible.  There's a longing to fill that space in a way she can't yet bring herself to voice, even to Emma.  For now, a dog will do nicely.

 

It's Regina who brings it up, while Emma and Henry sit together, still in pajamas and playing video games.  They stare at her like she's trying to pull a particularly humorless prank on them.

 

"I'm being completely serious," Regina says when neither of them have so much as smiled.

 

Finally catching on that this is more than a casual comment, Emma pauses the game to give Regina her full attention.  "You want to get a dog?" she repeats hesitantly, stealing a glance at Henry.  When she looks back, her lips are pulled tight like she  _wants_ to smile.

 

It's something.

 

"Really?"  Henry's eyes get wide and bright like his smile hasn't reached his lips yet.  Like he wants to believe, but his mother is really asking a bit too much of him this time.

 

"Honestly, it's like you two think I don't like animals."

 

"I mean, everyone knows you love horses," Emma says.  Her tone has a hint of teasing, and she probably thinks the way her eyes flick over to the horse statue is subtle.  It's not.  "But I'd kinda assumed that anything else was..."

 

She trails off, so Henry fills in, ever so helpful, "a little too Snow White?"

 

It hurts more than she thought it would, this many years later.  And from the people who are supposed to know her better than anyone.  The people she loves more than she'd ever dreamed possible.  Of course she would never be able to measure up to Snow White.

 

Her shoulders slump.  She turns, and she misses the way their faces fall.  She turns and decides she'll do some dishes.  Or start on dinner, or anything to forget about this silly idea that she was ridiculous to think would make her family happy.

 

She doesn't even make it to the kitchen before there are footsteps rushing up behind her, and suddenly two sets of arms wrap around her.

 

"We're sorry, Mom," Henry says.  "We thought it would be fun to tease you."

 

"We clearly didn't think that through.  I'm so, so sorry Regina," Emma says, kissing her temple.  Then her cheek.  "You've just never talked about wanting pets before.  It caught me off guard."

 

"Well, I'm talking about it now."  She feels herself melting into these arms, even as she tries to hold onto her grumpy mood.  She sighs, like this is something she's just putting up with, but she can't help the dreaminess that seeps into it.

 

"Yes, we are."  And she can feel Emma's smile against her jaw now.  Nose nuzzling into her cheek.  "And I think it's a wonderful idea."

 

"It's the best idea, Mom!" Henry adds.  "I've been wanting a dog forever, but I never thought we'd be able to get one."

 

"I have always hoped we'd get to a place where we could."

 

She's not tearing up.  Absolutely not.

* * *

 

 

For the next week, the family group chat is flooded with pictures of different dog breeds.  When Regina starts sending them pictures of dogs she sees on her morning walks, which have frequently gone by Storybrooke's dog park lately, Emma jokingly says she's not allowed to just scoop up dogs she sees around town.  She laughs nervously, but the morning walk pictures dwindle.  She only sends ones of dogs who are tied up outside of stores after that.

 

_dog theft isn't suddenly legal when u don't see their owners for 5 minutes_

 

_It's neglectful and cruel!_

 

_ur the mayor, make an ordinance or something_

 

She sets her own boundaries when Emma sends a link for a husky breeder a few towns away and Henry starts looking at dogs from the Humane Society in Bangor.

 

"I'd really rather keep the search local, and I don't want to go through a breeder," she says one night while they're eating.  Emma's pout and puppy dog eyes are predictable and she won't be moved by them.  Not over this at least.  "Almost all the breeders in Storybrooke are nobility.  I trust very few of them and unless they're named Kathryn, I'd rather avoid them."

 

Emma's pout turns into a frown.  "What about my parents?"

 

"They've grown on me," Regina says.   _Like mold on bread_ , she doesn't say.  "And I suppose I would trust David with dogs more than most people, but I don't think he's owned many since his shepherding days."

 

"So, the shelter then?" Henry asks.  He's already pulling out his phone.

 

"That's the best option, I think."  She smiles fondly at him.  "Let's save the research for after dinner?"

 

 

 It can't be more than an hour after school has finished when Henry and Emma show up in her office.  She's in the middle of some tedious paperwork she's been unable to focus on when they come in; she watches them over the top of her computer while she pretends to read, but she can barely contain her laughter as they look nervously between her and each other.  Henry shuffles his feet as if he needs to use the bathroom.  Emma looks like she's about to burst at the seams over whatever it is she wants to say.

 

Finally Emma nudges Henry forward and he grins as he practically bounces towards her desk, Emma not far behind.

 

"I hope you haven't been keeping your mother from anything important?" Regina says.  She drops the pretense of working, taking off her glasses and shifting from behind her computer, to smile up at them.

 

"She said it'd been a slow day," Henry says at the same time as Emma saying, "nothing is more important than our dog."

 

Emma cringes and adds, before Regina can say anything, "it was just paperwork.  I can catch up over the weekend."

 

"Yes, I'm sure you'll get lots of work done the weekend we plan to expand our family."  Emma blushes at being caught, but Regina's smile relaxes and she reaches for her hand.  "Don't worry, I've barely been able to get work done all day either."

 

They smile softly at each other and Emma brings their clasped hands up so she can kiss Regina's knuckles.

 

"Ew," Henry says.  He wrinkles his nose, looking so much like a ten year old again, and Emma's back to blushing.

 

"So what do you have for me then?"

 

They grin at each other before Henry hands her a few sheets of paper.  "We narrowed it down to three," he says before she can look at them.  "There's a surprisingly large selection right now and we figured it would be easier to make a choice if you didn't have the option of taking home the entire shelter."

 

Regina narrows her eyes at Emma.  "You realize I didn't actually want to bring home every dog I saw around town, yes?"

 

Emma still seems dubious.

 

"I called Marian today during my lunch break and she said that it's a couple weeks before they tend to start getting a lot of people coming in to adopt," she explains.  "They're almost at capacity, so we figured this way we won't spend the entire day there looking around.  It'll be good to go in with some idea of what we're looking for."

 

"Emma Swan has a plan, I'm impressed."

 

The grin and the way Emma's eyes travel over her body as she puts both hands on the desk and leans close almost have Regina squirming in her seat.  Henry has just enough time to roll his eyes, mutter "get a room" and turn away from them before Emma's lips meet hers.  

 

She sinks into the kiss, sighing happily.  There's an effort not to bring her hands up and cup Emma's cheek.  Trail her fingers through Emma's hair.  Pull Emma closer.  If they were alone, maybe, but Henry doesn't need any more scarring.  And she really does have work she should get back to when they're done talking dogs.

 

Still, when Emma flicks her tongue over Regina's bottom lip before she pulls away, it's hard not to pull her right back.

 

Damn her.

 

"I like impressing you," she says, straightening up slowly.  

 

Henry makes a gagging noise, back still turned to them.

 

"Anyway," Regina says and then tries to cough away the shaky roughness in her voice.  She finally looks down at the papers in her hands, slightly crumpled now where she had gripped them.  There's a very scruffy looking medium-sized, black and grey mutt (who's surprisingly adorable with his floppy ears and his grin and Regina might be a little bit in love with him already), a brown pitbull, and a beagle.  "Which is your favorite, Henry?"

 

That gets him to finally turn around again, and he's grinning like the mutt.

 

"I really like beagles.  They're small, but not too small, and they're a lot of fun."  He seems to have some personal experience with them and Regina's raised eyebrow prompts him to continue.  "Lilo's sister got her one last year and I've played with him some."

 

She looks through the profile.  It looks like a healthy dog, energetic, been at the shelter for a few months and seems well adjusted.  Three years old is a good age for their first dog, but...

 

"Rocket?"  What kind of name for a dog.

 

"He's probably really fast?" Henry suggests, but sounds doubtful.  "We could always name him something else probably."

 

"Oh!  We could name him Wishbone!" Emma says, looking rather proud of herself (she's probably been wanting to bring it up since the moment they saw his picture).

 

When all she gets is a smirk out of Regina, she's clearly offended.

 

"Seriously kid?  Nothing?"  She turns to Regina when Henry continues looking blank.  "Are you telling me that our son wasn't brought up on one of the best children's shows of the 90s?"

 

"For one thing, Emma, that was a little before his time.  But also, I wasn't about to have him watch a show where a dog brought classic literature and fantasy to life.  It hit a little too close to home."

 

"You totally watched!" Emma says, eyes lighting up with glee.  Regina gives away nothing.  "Please tell me he at least got to watch Reading Rainbow."

 

"Mom would never deny me a show where Geordi La Forge talks about kids books," he says with a smile that falters a little when he realizes this exposes how much of a geek he is.  It seems to be one of those things he's gotten shy about with adolescence.

 

But Emma's grinning back and throws an arm around his shoulders.  "My favorite nerds," she says fondly and kisses the side of his head.

 


	2. Chapter 2

After an evening of discussion has gotten them nowhere closer to deciding which dog they all might like best, the Swan-Mills family arrives at the animal shelter after lunch the next day.  Marian is waiting for them in the front, her smile bright when she sees them come in.

 

Henry smiles back and waves, excited to finally see the dogs.  Except, when Marian focuses on him with a happy, "hey Henry!' he quickly looks down. 

 

Regina swears she sees his ears flush pink.  From the sideways glance Emma gives her, she's not imagining it.  With the mischievous look in Emma's eyes and the smirk on her lips, she may as well be screaming her thoughts.

 

"Um, hey!"  Henry's voice cracks as he stammers out a reply.  Emma snorts and Regina shoots her a glare.  No one gets to make her son feel embarrassed, even his mother.  Especially then.  Thankfully, he doesn't seem to notice.  "Where's Roland?  He said he was going to tell me all about the dogs we liked."

 

"Sorry darling, Mulan decided to take a group of kids on a hike and he got excited.  Dog day must have completely slipped his mind," she says.  His blush deepens, and Regina can see Emma biting her lips hard to keep from laughing.  "He'll be sad he missed out, but I will do my best in his place."

 

She turns to open the door to the kennels and looks back at them.  "Everyone coming?"

 

Henry hurries after her but Regina puts a hand on Emma's wrist to keep her from moving and says, "we'll be a minute.  You two go on."

 

The look Marian gives her before leading Henry into the back is very similar to Emma's, plus a little eyebrow waggle.  Regina is grateful that everyone here seems to know what's going on, though her son probably thinks he's being far more subtle.  She rolls her eyes when she turns to face Emma.

 

"Our kid has a crush!" Emma says immediately, holding up her hand for a high five.

 

Regina smiles, Emma's grin infections.  She had wanted to have an at least semi-serious talk about this, but it's impossible not to be amused and her smile turns into a matching grin as she reaches out her hand to slap Emma's.

 

"You're not allowed to tease him though."

 

Emma pouts.  "But it's so adorable.  All that blushing!"

 

"it's incredibly cute," Regina says, and Emma's grin is back in an instant.  "Puberty is hard enough, especially with two very public figures for mothers.  I don't want to make it any worse."

 

Emma's entire face softens, as if she continues to be in constant awe of how much Regina cares about their son.  She leans in, placing a hand loosely on Regina's waist, and kisses the corner of her mouth.  "Of course, you're right," she says, taking a step back.  "I'll do my best to tone it down a bit."

 

Her hand stays, her thumb rubbing gentle circles on the soft fabric of Regina's blouse, until Regina takes it in her own.

 

Regina sighs.  "I can't believe he's growing up so fast," she says, and Emma pulls her closer.  "We're going to have to continue our talks about respecting other's agency, I suppose."

 

"You are amazing at those," Emma says.  Regina wonders how much longer Emma can look at her with those wistful 'you're perfect at everything you do' smiles before her own body stops reacting to them by filling with warmth and butterflies.  She's far too old to be swooning over a pretty smile.  She thinks it will probably be a while yet.  "I don't think I've ever known a fourteen year old boy quite like him.  No doubting your mom skills."

 

That's not something she will ever tire of hearing.  Even if it hadn't taken them so long to get to where Emma would openly, and without prompting, call her a good mother, the thought of hearing it from Snow White's daughter will always leave a part of her in startled disbelief.

 

Regina is the one to lean in this time, pulling Emma in close and kissing her.  She sighs into the kiss as their lips slide together.

 

It's easy to get lost in kissing Emma when she's feeling like this.  To have the world narrow until it's only Emma's hand caressing her cheek.  And the taste of Emma's lips on her tongue.  And the racing of her blood drowning out every sound but their heavy breathing.

 

It's easy to melt into Emma and forget that they're standing in the middle of an animal shelter.  All of Storybrooke's bustling main street just yards away outside large windows, her son and good friend just beyond a door, and the only thing that matters in this moment is her lip between Emma's lips, the warmth that fills her body while Emma clings to her.  She could stay this way for hours.

 

"Wow," Emma says, coming out of the kiss with a dazed smile.

 

"Thank you," she says after getting her breath under control.  She leans her forehead against Emma's temple, not wanting to put any distance between them yet.

 

"What for?"

 

"For saying I'm a good mom."

 

"The best mom," Emma says, sounding as sure of herself as Regina has ever heard her.  She presses her lips on Regina's cheek for another long moment.

 

Regina is remarkably close to dragging her home, dog be damned.  A quick call to Marian saying to let Henry pick whichever dog he likes best and begging her to keep an eye on him for a few hours is all she'd need to do.  And oh, it's been far far too long since they had a few hours with the house completely to themselves.  The way Emma's thumb keeps slipping under her blouse, brushing over that stop above her hip that drives her wild, is not helping her make what she knows is the proper decision here.

 

She's been waiting weeks to dig back into that box in the back of their closet, and she can imagine how it might go with a dog in the house.  The moment Emma gets the strap-on settled on her hips, the dog will start tearing through the house.  Toppling her potted plants, ripping toilet paper to shreds.  Emma will have to chase it down and pry pieces of torn up, priceless rug from its mouth, the dildo bouncing around like they're in some kind of vulgar slapstick comedy.  She doesn't want to contemplate what a dog would do with a dildo.

 

"I know you said no teasing," Emma says, pulling Regina away from her increasingly ludicrous thoughts.  "But I just want to say that our kid's got great taste in women."

 

"He must get that from you."  Emma grins -- looking at her in that proud, smug way that only comes from talking about Henry -- until Regina says, "he certainly doesn't get it from me."

 

"Hey!"  Emma's face falls into a deep frown and she takes a step back.  Regina knows that pouting is imminent.  "Are you saying I'm not good taste?"

 

And there's the pout.  Right on time.

 

Regina pulls her close again, wrapping arms around her shoulders.  "I'm only teasing," she says, smirking.  She brings Emma's face up a little, a finger pressed gently under her chin, and watches until Emma's lips tug into a shy smile.  Then she leans in, lips brushing against Emma's ear, "besides, you're delicious."

 

She feels Emma shudder against her and when she pulls back, Emma looks like she's thinking of all the things that Regina wants to do in those few hypothetical hours they could have to themselves.  That glazed over look in Emma's eyes makes Regina want to kiss her again.  Perhaps push her up against a wall behind Marian's desk.

 

The door opens and the sound of a throat clearing finally brings them both full back into the real world.  The real world, of course, being Marian smirking at them like she's exercising a great deal of restraint to not tell them to find someplace outside of her business to do whatever it is they're thinking about doing.

 

"Yes?" Regina asks.

 

She does her best to straighten up her hair, knowing she must look a bit rumpled.  Taking in Emma's flush, she realizes that no effort is going to hide what they've been up to.

 

Marian grins.

 

"Just checking up on you two.  Making sure you hadn't gotten lost or stolen away by fairies or anything.  Can't be too safe about these things in Storybrooke."

 

Regina rolls her eyes when Emma blushes more.  But she can't help the fond smile that creeps up at the thought of how alike Emma and Henry are when they get flustered.

 

"We'll join you in a moment."

 

"Mmmmhmm," Marian says, her doubt in that statement obvious.

 

She slips back into the other room and lets the door close, leaving them alone again.

 

"I suppose we should go look at some dogs then," Regina says, walking away from Emma towards the door.

 

"Before we go back there," Emma starts and Regina pauses.  "I'm supposed to remind you: we can only get one.  Probably later we'll get more, but we should start small, y'know?"

 

She shrugs.  As if she wants it to come across as no big deal, but her grimace betrays her worry that it will strike a nerve.

 

"I'm not a child," Regina says, narrowing her eyes.  This is very similar to what they had said last night and the repetition is getting a little patronizing.  "And who's the one here with poor impulse control?"

 

Emma snorts.  "Yeah, okay Gryffindor."

 

There's a few moments of silence and then Regina lets out a deep laugh.

 

She's still amazed sometimes at how often she does that now.  It's freeing, to be able to be like this with someone.  Emma looks at her like she knows how it makes Regina feel and it sends love bubbling up through her.

 

She takes Emma's hand and tugs her towards the back, finally.  Who knows what Henry and Marian have gotten up to while they've been out here canoodling.

 

"Just one!" Emma says again as they step through the door.

 

"You're an asshole," Regina replies.  Emma smirks.

 

"I love you too."

 

* * *

 

 

They follow the sound of talking and excited barking -- Regina is trying her best not to get distracted by the over eager dogs jumping up to greet them as they pass -- until they find their companions around a corner.  Next to them is a dog who looks very much like the mutt she'd initially been so fond of.

 

"Do you let Roland name all the strays?" Henry asks Marian.  He's focusing on everything but Marian while he talks to her.  With his thumbs stuck through his belt loops and his chest puffed out, Regina can't hold back a soft smile at how perfectly he's mimicking Emma's 'I'm cool and chill and totally, definitely not into you' stance.

 

"He enjoys it a lot, and it can be fun now that he's gotten over calling them all 'Puppy' and 'Mr. Dog.'"  They both laugh and Marian gives them a wink when she notices them walk up.  "I do have veto power though."

 

"Look at you, getting into the democracy thing," Emma says.

 

Henry jumps at their sudden presence and that blush creeps back to his ears like they'd caught him doing something other than casually talking to family friend.

 

"I'm just glad it keeps Regina from putting people in her dungeon these days," Marian says, her warm eyes twinkling with mirth.  Regina isn't sure when they got to a point where they could joke about this.

 

"Well, for the most part," Emma says.  

 

She looks incredibly smug.  Regina does her best to keep her face neutral, even as she feels it heating, but when Emma and Marian snort at the same time, she shoves the sharpest bit of her elbow into Emma's lower ribs.  The yelp is incredibly satisfying.

 

"Anyway," Henry says.  Thankfully most of this still seems to go over his head, though she can tell from his scrunched up face that he understands it's something that would traumatize him if he figured it out.  He kneels down next to the dog once he knows he has their attention, smooshing up her floppy ears as her tail stars to wag.  "This is Benjamina."

 

"Roland's  _Muppets Treasure Island_ phase," Marian explains with a sigh, clearly nostalgic.  Regina remembers a month of singing, but is certainly not sad that any kind of pirate obsession had been short lived.

 

It doesn't take any further prompting from her son for Regina to take up a spot next to him.  Kneeling in heels and casual slacks is far from the most comfortable thing Regina has done recently, but she wasn't about to wear her comfy house clothes down main street.  As soon as Benjamina has a paw up on Regina's knee and is leaning in to sniff her, tail beating happily against the floor, Regina forgets all about any discomfort.

 

The dog bumps her nose against Regina's chin.  Soon there's a tongue licking at her jaw and she knows that she should be disgusted.

 

Her whole life had been a study in etiquette and propriety.  Letting a dog lick her face would have had a high place on Mother's list of least dignified behaviors, had in fact cost her dinner once or twice when she was very young.  All she can do now is laugh.  She does nothing to restrain herself because this is her son and her closest friend and the woman she loves more than anything.  There's no one here to put on an act for and if she can't be like this around these people, then what is the point of everything she's done to get here.

 

"Hello girl," she says.  She's a little embarrassed by the way her voice pitches up in a cutesy tone.  She can imagine the looks she must be getting from the women still standing behind her and flips them off, hand behind her back where Henry can't see.

 

Ignoring them, she brings her hand back so she can cup the dog's jaw gently with her fingers and is rewarded by Benjamina pressing into her, eager for more pets.

 

She's far more adorable that Regina had prepared for.  The scattering of spots through the white of her face are a dark brown that hadn't come through in the photo.  Her eyes are a beautiful copper that look right into Regina's soul.  She can already tell that she would let this dog get away with anything.

 

"You're such a pretty girl," Regina coos again.

 

"I think we know where Regina's vote is going," Emma says behind her.

 

"She's wonderful," Regina says to Marian as she stands up.  She's pleased her voice is back to normal.  "Henry, I'm surprised we didn't start with Rocket."

 

"Oh, we've already spent some time with him,  _and_ the pitbull, while you two were..." Henry pauses, making a face while searching for something that won't gross him out.  "Away.  Marian said she'd set up a room for me to play with him a bit."

 

Deciding that would be a good way for his mothers to meet the dog too, Marian puts Benjamina back in her pen and Henry runs off to get Rocket.  The dog bounds out as soon as the gate is open, having waited long enough for his new friend's return, his tail wagging rapidly.  He's jumping up and down, front paws bouncing off Henry's thighs, and Henry can't contain his own excitement as he rubs his hands with a playful roughness over Rocket's head and sides.

 

"We have some visiting rooms over here," Marian says, nodding her head to the right while attaching Rocket's leash.  "So you can spend some time with him away from all the other dogs."

 

She offers Henry the leash and they all follow her, but Regina is distracted by the dogs watching them hopefully.  It's about what she had expected: hounds, terriers, shepherds, all sorts of working dogs that had been necessary back in the Enchanted Forest, but didn't fit in with a person's Storybrooke lifestyle for whatever reason.  Perhaps her family had been right to worry that she would want to take them all home.  She is finding it incredibly difficult to fight that desire.

 

As they turn a corner and another row of kennels come into view, Regina notices two giant paws poking out of one.  Intrigued, she breaks off from the group and squats down next to one of the largest dogs she's seen since leaving the Enchanted Forest.

 

The dog looks up at her with sad, sad eyes, and Regina knows without a doubt that Emma will have met her match with this one.  And while it's looking at her pitifully and whimpering a low, raspy sound that strikes right through to Regina's heart, its tail is thumping happily against the floor.

 

"Hi there, precious," she whispers.  She puts her hand, palm up, in front of the gate for the dog to sniff as it scoots closer.  "And who are you?"

 

She looks up to see a handwritten sign to the side of the kennel that says only, 'Same, f, 1 year.'  Her eyes dart down to the dog just as she licks happily at Regina's hand, and her only reaction is to yelp and fall back on her butt.  It's only a few seconds before Emma and Marian come around the corner to find her laughing and trying to figure out how to get back to her feet without getting her slacks any more dirty.

 

"What on earth?  I knew I should have made sure you were in front of me so you couldn't wander off," Emma says as she helps Regina to her feet.

 

Regina takes a deep breath to stop her giggles.  Only to have another escape a moment later at the disgusted noise Emma makes when a dog slobber-covered hand is wiped on her bare arm.  If only she could get a picture of Emma's face right now.  Who knew her wife was the squeamish one.

 

"Sorry," she says.  Her lips quirk up into an apologetic half smile that Emma doesn't know how to resist.  The quick peck on the lips is expected, but still makes her smile a little fuller.  "I couldn't stop myself from saying hi to this baby."

 

Emma seems to notice the dog in front of them for the first time.

 

Sam is standing up now, clearly waiting for Regina to come back and pet her.  Emma's eyebrows jump up comically.  "That baby is a great dane, Regina," she says, whispering as if worried that Sam might get offended by her size being commented on.

 

"She's very friendly and mild mannered," Marian says from behind them.  Her lips pressed firmly together to keep from grinning, obviously amused at the situation.  She has no doubt been warned that something like this might happen.  "Roland has asked to come in and play with her every day since she's been here.  I was surprised how well they got on.  I take it you'd like to spend some time with this one?"

 

"Please."

 

"How come she's here in the first place?" Emma asks.  "You don't just come by a great dane accidentally."

 

She doesn't answer them, but she does give them a look that says she has a few opinions about this dog's story.  They step aside so Marian can get the door open.  She takes her time getting Sam's leash on and leading her out to another viewing room so they can meet her properly.  Regina leans over as they walk and lets Sam smell her hand again before petting her for the first time.  Her tan fur is velvety soft and Regina can't help cooing over her when they get to the room and she can finally scrunch those big, floppy ears.

 

"Who's the big, beautiful girl?" she says, feeling far less embarrassed this time when her voice turns sweet.  "Do you like me, Sam?"  She scratches down Sam's neck and over her shoulders, Sam wiggling between her hands.

 

She leans down a little further to kiss the top of Sam's head, taking a deep breath of that good dog smell.  When she's stands back up, Emma's entire face has softened and she's looking at them like she sometimes does when she watches Regina play with Roland or her little brother.  It's a look of wonder and curiosity that makes Regina think they might be on the same page and want the same things, and that longing comes flooding back.  Thoughts of her and Emma and family, big enough to finally fill her giant home.  All the smells and sounds and the possibility that she will never again be overwhelmed by a deep, empty loneliness when she walks through the front doors as she was for so many years.

 

Then Emma turns her attention back to Marian and the moment fades, but she can still feel it warming her all over.

 

Marian is chewing on her lip and Regina remembers that she still hasn't answered Emma's question.

 

"The owner said she got much bigger than he was expecting and didn't have room for her," she says finally.

 

"Someone intentionally got a great dane puppy," Emma says, voice hard.  She stands up taller and sticks her thumbs in her belt loops; a pose Regina will never stop thinking of as Sheriff Swan.  "And what, expected her to stay the size of a lab?"

 

"Who was the owner?" Regina asks.

 

"We're not supposed to give out that kind of information."  Marian almost looks sorry that's the case.  The logical side of Regina understands the necessity for confidentiality, but the rest of her has a strong desire to fireball this man in the ass as she runs him out of town.  "She wasn't abused or malnourished or anything.  He'd even been training her.  Just an uninformed man who got in over his head.  We're glad he brought her here instead of doing something rash like try to find a spell to make her shrink or something."

 

Emma makes a face at the thought, but before she says anything, Henry's head peeks through the now open door.

 

"Oh, there you guys are," he says and comes in, closing the door behind him.  His eyes go wide when he sees the dog sitting between his moms, her head almost at their chests.  "That's a freaking giant dog!"

 

"We found where your mother ran off to," Emma says.  Her anger has deflated, her body relaxing and her smile returning as she seems to once again get far too much amusement out of this side of Regina that she'd never expected.  Flashing Regina a quick grin, she drops to the floor, mimicking Regina's earlier move to let Sam sniff her hand.  Sam licks her, getting excited enough for her butt to lift off the floor to get closer.  Her tail is wagging furiously.

 

Henry is down there with them a moment later.

 

"Henry, this is Sam," Emma says when he hesitates, coming face to face with this massive ball of energy.  "Sam, this is Henry."

 

All the patience seeps out of Sam in a whimper and she's pouncing the short distance to Henry, licking his cheek.  Henry laughs out full and loud and just on the edge of still being childish.  It's enough to make Regina's heart ache.  But they're all joining his laughter when Sam flops over in front of him, head in Henry's lap and starts making the most ridiculous grumbling noises and whimpers as Henry and Emma scratch her chest with zeal.

 

"I should go check on Rocket," Marian says quietly.  She moves past Regina towards the door.

 

She closes it behind her without noticing the sobering of the rest of the room.  Henry's hand slows to gently rub at the side of Sam's neck.  His eyes dart between his mothers.  "I really like her," he says and his voice cracks a little.

 

Regina, knowing she can't pull off sad puppy eyes the way the rest of her family is able to do, gives Emma the most pathetic, pleading look she can muster.  Frowning slightly, forehead creased.  Her eyes drop down to Sam before coming back to meet Emma's.  Emma, for her part, is trying desperately to not be moved by this performance, but fails miserably.  Her mouth drops open for a moment in disbelief that Regina, of all people, would stoop to using such methods of manipulation.  As if Regina hasn't found pouting to be a very effective tool with Emma for years.

 

"Regina, I know she's sweet and we like her, but she's not who we came here for."  And though a part of her wants to point out that they hadn't known who they wanted to take home anyway, Regina gets it.  She really does.  Emma has never gone into great detail about her experiences in group homes, but the look on her face tells Regina that today is bringing up some things for her.  "We can't just change our minds on a whim."

 

Before Regina can think of a response, Marian is back in the room and it's clear she's caught on to the unease that came over them when she left.

 

"Since things have changed a bit, I want to make sure you know how everything is looking before you make your decision."  She stands next to Regina and smiles at Henry, where he's still sitting on the floor with Sam's head in his lap, oblivious to the drool seeping into his pants.  "We've had three other families show interest in Rocket, you're just the first ones to make it to meet him.  He's probably going to find a new home in a matter of days.  And I know you aren't the only one who will fall in love with Benjamina -" she nudges Regina and grins at her - "and you're welcome to come visit her until then.  Don't worry that anyone will lose out in this situation."

 

Even Sam perks up at Marian's voice and seems to be giving Emma her most hopeful look.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"The likeliness that someone else in Storybrooke will take home a great dane is pretty small.  There's just not as much room as there was back home, and not as much need for guard or hunting dogs.  Your home is rather ideal for Sam, if I'm honest.  It's large and you have a spacious yard.  I might invest in some couch covers and sturdier rugs."  Regina remembers the image that came to her before, of Emma trying to get a piece of carpet from between their new dog's teeth.  She tries not to think about it.  They can handle this.  "Otherwise I was thinking of taking her to the Merry Men, but I'm not sure that will be the best environment for her."

 

Three pairs of pleading eyes are turned on Emma and Regina knows she's near her breaking point.

 

"And Sam still has a large bag of kibble and a bunch of other supplies to take with her."

 

"Okay yes.  Let's do this."

 

"Yes?"

 

Emma nods.  Regina flings her arms around her and kisses her noisily on the cheek and Emma laughs, pulling her closer.  Henry lets out a cheer and Sam joins him with a loud bark and yes.  As Emma's lips find hers through their laughter, Regina knows this is what she's been wanting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well this isn't the wip i was hoping to get a new chapter up on, but look guys! a thing! i think i have enough ideas to fill two more chapters of this, but i'm really hoping to condense it into one, but we'll see. and i'm really sorry to everyone who'd been rooting for the mutt. please imagine that they go back in a few months and end up bringing her home too.

**Author's Note:**

> i was really hoping to get this all in a oneshot, but the second half just keeps growing! feel free to come kick my butt if chapter 2 isn't up in a week.


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